phooka

Irish - A mischievous hobgoblin. This hobgoblin, sometimes seen as an ass, a horse, a calf or a goat, or a combination of these, or as a ghostly black dog, is said to be a pre-Celtic deity, later downgraded. Its favourite trick is to rise out of the ground between a person's legs and carry him off. At daybreak next day, the phooka throws his victim back, usually into the mud. It is said that a phooka can give humans the power to understand the language of animals. Occasionally referred to as phooka, pooka, pooka, puca, puca, pouke, pouke, puck, English pucca, English pucca, Puck, Puck, Robin Goodfellow, Norse puki, Norse puki, puck, pwca, Welsh pwca, Welsh pwca, puck or Puki.